This week National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley sent letters to the seven Senate and 13 House conferees assigned to hammer out a compromise on H.R. 3630, which passed even though Congress failed to reach agreement. While federal pay and benefits measures were not included in that short-term legislation, proposed cuts to benefits and a possible freeze extension are expected to reemerge as major issues as lawmakers work on a compromise.

Kelly urged the conferees to oppose using cuts to federal employee pay and benefits as a means of offsetting a longer-term extension of the payroll tax cut and other measures in the bill.

FCW investigated efforts by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to improve a joint data repository on military and veteran suicides. Something as impersonal and mundane as incomplete datasets could be exacerbating a national tragedy.

The National Information Exchange Model's usefulness extends far beyond its origins in justice and law enforcement.

Reader comments

Tue, Mar 20, 2012
charles dougwillo
29 Palms, Ca

The rising cost of food, gas and other related living expenses like water and eletric bill are increasing by passage of state and local councils. The federal pay freeze has been on for 3 years, so the federal employees are due with less money while prices are rising in the commerical section. Why, because it's easy for Congress to frezze our pay and hiring because they can do it without any legal action of having to pass a bill to keep federal employees from pay raies, cost of living allowances and hiring freeze. The federal employees do not have a say in this matter but to lobby Congress which has not been working. CEO are still get millions of dollars in compenstation, the oil companies are ranking in huge profits and I see no relief in site for federal workers. I know some federal workrs were planning on retiring but now they can't afford to retired. I see the price of gas hitting $5.50 a galleon by mid summer which means i Ca price will be $6.00 a galleon.

Sat, Feb 4, 2012

When was the last time that the legislative branch took a pay cut in operations, personnel, or retirement? If never, shouldn't the question be raised as to how much are the retirement entitlements for the legislators? Shouldn't the retirement be reduced and more time is needed to qualify? How about reducing the number of legislators? Federal employees are always told 'do more for less', are the legislators doing more with less staff? Less perks? Less legislators? Otherwise, its just a bunch of lip service, when we don't seeing their efforts to help the budget deficit.

Please post your comments here. Comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately
after submitting. We will not post comments that we consider abusive or off-topic.